Long time no talk…lots of work though
It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything here — which, in a way, says everything about how busy things have been. My plan to keep this blog updated regularly was made during one of those rare stretches when I wasn’t juggling quite so many moving parts.
Up in the mountains, the A-frame is coming along nicely. Most of the siding is up now, and while we hit a few bumps with framing inspections, we finally got everything cleared. The whole place is built mostly out of LVLs, which makes it feel about as solid as a house can get — probably the heaviest, densest thing I’ve ever built. No wind will move it.
Back in Decatur, work at 141 East Trinity Place has been full throttle. The building started life in 1935 as the Decatur Post Office and later became the Greenes’ candy store. Now, it’s being reborn as home to Cornerstone Jazz Collective — a project that’s close to my heart since I’m part of the collective myself.
We kind of ripped off the Band-Aid on this one — starting at both ends. Excavation in the basement and the roof tear-off happened almost at the same time. In the basement, we had to move about three tons of dirt by hand because there was no way to get equipment inside. The guys dug it out one wheelbarrow at a time so we could pour the new footings and drains.
Up top, we tore off the old roof and installed a new TPO roof system with five inches of exterior insulation — a key part of meeting EarthCraft certification requirements for energy efficiency in the City of Decatur. Insulating from above let us preserve the original wood ceilings, which are too good to cover. They’ll stay exposed, adding warmth and texture to the interior that balances all the new steel and concrete work below.
In the basement, we’ve been cutting through concrete to bring things up to code for drainage and to make room for a music store and music school. The crew from Concrete Works said it was some of the hardest concrete they’ve ever cut in 30 years — and I believe them. I watched them labor over one 15–20 foot foundation drain, only about a foot deep, for almost two days straight.
Enrique and the guys puring the new utility room floor.
Freshly poured footing in the new elevator pit. The opening in the background is the old mail drop for the original post office.
On the main floor, we’re building out the restaurant Clave, which will serve Cuban food (and coffee in the mornings) thanks to our friends at Mojitos, alongside the jazz club Mary Lous. Above that, a mezzanine will overlook the club, with a green room tucked behind it and a recording studio designed by Tony Terrebonne and run by Marty Kearns — set up to record live performances right from the stage below.
New framing and steel connecting with old. This is the front of the new Clave bar.
That’s the brain dump for now and I feel like I haven’t said much.
